Thursday, February 22, 2007

By Kenny Goldberg and KPBS Public Broadcasting

All pregnant women in California who get regular prenatal care are offered a genetic screening test. This test indicates whether their baby is at risk of having Down syndrome or other genetic birth defects. What women do with the test results is a matter of personal choice. KPBS health reporter Kenny Goldberg has the story.

Last year, Kim Capello was pregnant with her third child. As part of her routine pre-natal care, she had a blood test that screens for certain genetic disorders.

Capello: And a week later, my midwife called me to say that I had a high risk of having a baby with Down syndrome.

Capello had another screening test. But it was inconclusive. So to find out for sure, she had an amniocentesis. That procedure involves inserting a needle into the abdomen, and extracting some amniotic fluid.

Capello was nervous about it, because an amnio carries a small risk of miscarriage. Nonetheless, Capello and her husband needed to know what was up with their baby.

They soon found out. The test said the baby definitely had Down syndrome.

Capello: Basically, I just was frozen, I mean I just was in shock and very sad, and we cried a lot, because we were so, just fearful of what to expect, and you know, it wasn't something you plan or really think about.

Kim Capello and her husband had an agonizing decision to make. Should they terminate the pregnancy? Or, should they have the baby anyway, knowing it would likely be mentally retarded?

Read the original:
Prenatal Genetic Tests Can Lead to Tough Choices

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